Dec. 4, 2002 | Apparently, when the Wachowski brothers' film
"The
Matrix" was released in 1999, it set more than the minds of
a few
million video-game-stoked teenage boys a-whirring. Philosophers,
who are quicker on the self-promotional uptake than they're given
credit for, seized on the film as a way to illustrate various key
principles of their discipline, and in "The Matrix and
Philosophy"
William Irwin has collected an array of their responses. The
movie
is, he says, "a philosopher's Rorschach inkblot test"
where
thinkers detect the ideas of whatever school they like best:
"existentialism, Marxism, feminism, Buddhism, nihilism,
postmodernism" and more.

A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM

by Edgar Allan Poe

1827

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weepwhile I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

JERRY
NDS News

Woolly writing creates new poetry

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2541761.stm

"Randomness and uncertainty is at the centre
of how the universe is
put together, and is quite difficult for us as humans who rely on
order.

"So I decided to explore randomness and some of the
principles of
quantum mechanics, through poetry, using the medium of
sheep."

"One is asked to approach this Sending-and-Taking meditation
(Tonglen) with an attitude of extraordinary compassion and love
for
all.

Think about all the suffering in the world. Wouldn't it be
wonderful to be able take all that pain and convert it to
happiness, health and well-being? Wouldn't it be a wonderful
thing
if you could open your heart, accepting suffering and being able
to
transform it into love and goodness? Lets do it now. Start by
accepting your own being.

Many teachers recommend that you begin the practice of
sending-and-taking with yourself. To do this, you simply consider
yourself as having two parts. One part is loving and
compassionate;
the other needs love and compassion. Envision yourself being able
to send love, care, and acceptance back to your own being.

I highly recommend that you begin your sending-and-taking
practice
with thoughts of your own being, your life and your journey. When
trying to generate compassion for all beings, it is essential to
remember that you are one of them. You have to be strong,
confident
and accepting of yourself before you can begin accepting others.
Use tonglen to forgive yourself for the things about which you
feel
guilty, inadequate or responsible; use tonglen as a spiritual
healing, and return to wholeness and wellness through this
soulful
healing practice." ~Author unknown

------------

The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your
life
is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on,
or blame. The gift is yours -- it is an amazing journey - and you
alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your
life really begins. --Unknown

If you've been on the internet for awhile you've probably seen
the
esp test given below. What's really amazing is the explanations
people come up with for how it works. There almost as amazing as
the explanations some of us give on this list for stuff. I think
you have to take the esp test before getting access to the
explanation page.

http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/esp2.html#aleph1

AL LARUS
NDS

The Taos Hum

Quite suprised to see it is recorded.

http://amasci.com/hum/hum1.html

are you familiar with it?
you are someone you know?

some time ago, I had awaken in the night.
no reason.
then closed my eyes again.
but they didn't seem closed.
it was apparent, that I could see DNA strands as if under a
microscope of some kind.
I open my eyes again, just to make sure this was happening.
I saw the room I was sleeping in, then closed my eyes again.
The same appearance came with my eyes closed....DNA moving about
in cell matter. I thought, "this is crazy", but kept
watching, and noticed hearing low humming and tone
sounds....after a few minutes the appearance faded, but still
have low humming sound. At times it is louder than others. But
low humming ongoing for the most part.
I don't usually talk about it to others.
They don't understand, so I don't bother.
I have had it now about 2yrs.

Once upon a time Yama, the god of death, fell in love with a
mortal
woman. He disguised himself as a mortal man and won her hand. As
she was mortal, he lived with her on earth rather than taking her
to his underworld kingdom, Yamapuri. But it was not long before
he
discovered that the wife he had chosen was shrewish and
quarrelsome.

She became even worse after she bore him a son. The son was named
Yama Kumar. Yama frequently disagreed with his mortal wife over
Yama Kumars upbringing, but she argued so violently with
him that
in the end Yama agreed to whatever she said.

Finally, Yama couldn't bear her bad temper any more and returned
to
his kingdom. From there he kept an eye on his son whom he loved
very much. Unfortunately, his wife was unable to raise the boy
properly and he grew up without learning anything to make a
living
for himself.

One night Yama appeared before his son and promised him the gift
of
healing if Yama Kumar work very hard and learn about medicinal
herbs and plants. The young man gratefully accepted his
fathers
gift. After some time, the young man became a qualified doctor.

"I am proud of you, my son," Yama said, "Now any
time you approach
a patient, if you see me sitting at the patients head, that
means
the patient will die. Then you should refuse to treat that
patient."

The boy followed his fathers instructions and soon became
widely
known for his excellent diagnosis and treatment.

Some years later, the princess became very ill. Royal physicians
came from far and near to cure her but they were all
unsuccessful.
The princess grew weaker and weaker. The kings courtiers
then told
the king about Yama Kumar. The king decided to let Yama Kumar try
to cure the princess.

Yama Kumar was thrilled at the opportunity to compete with the
royal physicians. But as he approached the princess bed he
was
dismayed to see his father sitting there.

"Oh father!" Yama pleaded, "Please spare her life!
She is so young
and beautiful. Must you take her life away now?" Yama loved
his son
very much and wanted to let the princess live, but he was also
duty
bound to take her. Finally he agreed to let her live for just
three
more days.

Thanking his father, Yama turned to the king and queen who could
not see or hear the conversation between father and son.

"Your majesties, your daughter is very ill" Yama Kumar
told them.
"I think she may have only three days of life left. However,
if she
outlives these, she will live to a ripe old age." Saying
this he
sat down beside her and thought hard of a plan to save her life.
Yama Kumar never left the princess bedside

Finally, on the third day, he saw his father approaching from a
distance. Before Yama could reach the princess, Yama Kumar slyly
called out, "Oh mother! How nice of you to come to see
father!"

Upon hearing his sons words, Yama immediately fled before
he could
even reach the princess bedside. Yamas sense of duty
could not
overcome his fear of his shrewish wife! Yama Kumars trick
had
worked!

As soon as Yama left, the color began to return miraculously to
the
princess cheeks. After a week had passed, Yama Kumar
announced to
the king that his daughter was cured.

So happy were the king and the queen that they married the young
man to their daughter and the couple lived happily to a ripe old
age.